The Good Life: Matt's Story
by Venus163
Summary: Don't let the title fool you. Matt's life is actually very miserable...until a sweet girl shows up. Will he have found happiness at last? Warning: Mimato!!
1. Default Chapter Title

~THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 1~  
  
Hey everyone- at least everyone who is bothering to read the Author's Notes! This is Venus163. Welcome to my series. The first two stories (Matt and Mimi) are for all Mimato fans everywhere. I am warning you now, if you do not like the idea of Matt and Mimi, then you better not read this story.  
  
But...if you like Takari or Taiora, I suggest you read this story, because those stories will follow. If so, read this, even if you HATE Mimato (Just don't send me flames about it; I personally LUV Mimato fics...)  
  
This story is dedicated to all those people who read "I Love You, Mimi Tachikawa", my first fic, and ESPECIALLY to those who sent me reviews ^_^. It received such good reviews, nearly nothing bad, that I'm scared this one wouldn't be so good.  
  
This story is rated PG-13, not PG, like my other story. It takes more of a depressing look at things. A little bit of attempted suicide (Part 2), being unloved (All Parts), doomed love (Part 4)...nothing that mature people can't handle (Sorry for the spoilers!!). The first two parts are the most depressing, it gets happier as it goes along. After "The Good Life: Matt's Story" and "The Good Life: Mimi's Story", I'm going to do T.K. and Kari's stories. There's a bit of a spoiler in here about T.K. In Mimi's part of the story, a spoiler about Kari will be there. I still have to write that one, though.  
  
Let's get something straight. This story is an alternate-reality story. In this story, Matt and T.K.'s parents are not divorced, but still together. Matt and Mimi are in high school. T.K. and Kari are in middle school.  
  
I know you guys all know this already but...I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON AND I NEVER WILL!! THEY BELONG TO A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE!! Check my first story for who they are, I'm feeling so lazy I don't want to type it. BUT THE PLOT IS MINE!!  
  
Well, please review. Send opinions to crescent87@hotmail.com  
  
~THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 1~  
BY VENUS163  
  
The whole world was blurred. He didn't care, all he wanted was to get away from his parents: fighting forever endlessly.   
  
They hated him. He'd known that since he was three, maybe even before that. All they cared about was money and themselves. It didn't matter to them who got hurt in the process of pleasing themselves as long as they got it.  
  
All his friends- they didn't understand. They pretended to, but they didn't. He knew that they probably hung around him because his family was rich.  
  
Only T.K. understood. T.K., who was forced to live through the same torture as he did. That made them alike. But they were different in many ways. T.K. had Hikari "Kari" Kamiya to confide it, and even if she didn't understand, she would listen and try to comfort him.  
  
But Matt...he had no one. Nobody understood him enough to listen, no one thought to look past the cold exterior he put on into his confused, frightened soul.  
  
His only escape was the park- the place where he could draw and sketch in peace, where no one would be bothered by the music from his harmonica.  
  
Scornfully he passed other guys. Nearly all of them had a girl hanging onto his arm. Stupid, foolish boys. They thought they knew everything: what hardship felt like, how it was to be unloved.  
  
Fools. They didn't know. They'd never know. They had loving families and people to stand up to them.  
  
He did not. His parents let him have everthing he wanted with question. That proved how little they cared for him.   
  
Matt found an isolated spot with a lone bench. 'Figures,' he thought bitterly. 'A lone bench for a lone boy.'  
  
Taking out his harmonica, he gazed at it, thinking. The harmonica was the only way he could truly express himself. He played whatever he felt, pouring his soul into it. But still, no one understood. All they knew was he played well, but they didn't know what was actually in his music.  
  
Bringing it up to his lips, he began to play. A gloomy, dark piece that just popped into his head. More than once tears stung the corners of his eyes, but he played on.  
  
The final notes melted into the air. Feeling free yet depressed, he slowly lowered the harmonica from his lips.  
  
A soft clapping sound issued from behind him. Turning around, he saw a pretty girl smiling at him.  
  
"That was beautiful," she told him.  
  
Matt frowned. "What would you know?"  
  
The girl looked hurt, but she smiled again. "I wouldn't know anything," she said lightly but bitterly. "No one cares. Just like your music. A depressing piece, but it expresses how I feel, and probably exactly how you feel."  
  
Matt was stunned. "You-You could see past..."  
  
"Um-hmm. In my opinion, you are truly a great musician. Your emotions, your very soul shines from your music," the girl said, while walking closer. She sat down on the bench, at the very edge, so she was on one side and he on the other.  
  
Matt stared at her. She was very pretty. She had soft brown hair tied up in a high ponytail except for two long strands that framed her face. She wore a simple pink dress.  
  
She suddenly turned her honey-colored eyes onto him. "You know what?" she asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We're obviously both depressed. Maybe it'll help if we talk to each other about our problems," she said, looking straight into his eyes.  
  
Matt gazed into her eyes. They sparkled dimly, and he could see loneliness, pain, and bitterness chasing each other around in them. He also noticed a slight twinkle of hope. "Okay," he said, watching the twinkle grow so her eyes sparkled.  
  
"Um, do you want to go first or should I?"  
  
Under the happy voice, Matt caught some hidden relunctance. On impulse, he announced, "I'll go first."  
  
"Alright. I'll just sit here and listen."  
  
Matt cleared his throat, finding it hard to open up. He had never opened up to anybody before. "I, um..."  
  
"If you don't want to say, I understand," the girl cried out suddenly.  
  
Matt nodded gratefully. "I'm not ready. Maybe another time?"  
  
She smiled at him. "Alright. I wasn't ready, either." She then abruptly changed the subject. "What shall I call you?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I have a feeling that you're not going to tell me your real name, because I won't tell you mine, and we're more alike than you think. So what shall I call you?"  
  
Matt jumped. No one, and honestly NO ONE, had ever read him so well. Recovering his composure, he told her, "Call me Matt."  
  
The girl smiled brightly. "Matt. I like it. It suits you." She held out her hand. "Hello, Matt. I'm Mimi."  
  
"Hi, Mimi," he answered, shaking her hand.  
  
They looked at each and burst into laughter.  
  
"Do you want to go get some ice cream?" she asked him.  
  
"Sure." They got up and went onto the path, and started to walk.  
  
"So, where do you go to school?" Matt asked, trying to start a conversation.  
  
"Odaiba High."  
  
"That's where I go! How come I've never seen you before?" Matt asked, disbelievingly.  
  
Mimi laughed. "You may not have seen me before, but I saw you everyday!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah! We only have one class together...Music, I think."  
  
Matt groaned. "Music-figures. There's so many people that I can't even find my teacher in there, even if I wanted to, which I would never do," he added quickly.  
  
Mimi casually put her arm through his. Strangely, Matt didn't mind. "Don't you think it totally stinks that Spring Vacation is only two weeks?"  
  
"Tell me about it! I think what they should do is..." Matt began eagerly.  
  
He was still talking to her about what they should do at the ice cream parlor, licking their ice cream.  
  
"That's a good idea," Mimi told him, licking her vanilla ice cream. "Too bad no one's ever going to even take it into consideration."  
  
"I know," Matt said apologetically, licking his chocolate ice cream.   
  
When they finished off, they walked outside.   
  
"I've gotta go," Mimi said relunctantly.  
  
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Matt asked, strangely afraid of letting her go, as if she were to leave, he would get depressed again, for he had been very happy with her the last hour.  
  
"No, that's alright. But if you want to give me a call, I'll give you my number." She dug into her purse and took out a pink pen and a piece of paper. She scrawled something onto it and gave it to him. "Give me a call, Matt!" she said airily before skipping away.  
  
Matt stared at the paper in his hand. 'Mimi: 555-6246' it said. Carefully putting it into his wallet, he walked home, whistling.  
  
Opening the door slowly, he walked in.  
  
"YAMATO ISHIDA!!"  
  
The whistle immediately died down and his smile faded. "What is it?"  
  
"Where have you been, young man?" His mother demanded. "I was worried sick!"  
  
Biting down the urge to retort, "No you weren't!", Matt answered, "Oh, I was just going for a walk."  
  
"A walk? Is this how you repay your father and me? We work hard, getting the money to feed you and clothe you, and is this what you repay us with?"  
  
Matt bit his tongue to keep from saying anything rash. After a couple moments, he managed to say, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Well, you better be!" Mrs. Ishida screamed. "Just wait when your father hears this, he'll..."  
  
Matt kept telling himself how important it was that he stay and not run away. There was T.K., his friends, school...  
  
"...and when he gets through with you..."  
  
None of those reasons seemed to be good enough for him to stay for. And then he thought of Mimi.  
  
Mimi was nice. She seemed to honestly understand HIM, and not the guy with the attitude he seemed to be.  
  
Matt made up his mind. He must stay for Mimi, even though she might be the only reason.  
  
"...go up to your room now or else!" His mother finished.  
  
Matt wordlessly went upstairs to his room. Lying on his bed, he clutched to him the only comfort he had: The small scrap of paper written on in pink pen.  
  
  
  
Matt held the phone, sweating. He didn't know why it was so hard to call Mimi. He scolded himself vigorously. 'She wanted to hear from you, otherwise she would have never given you her phone number,' he thought. 'So call her already!'  
  
With trembling fingers, he dialed the seven numbers. Nervously, he listened to the phone ringing on the other end. One, two, thr-  
  
"This is Mimi," answered her sweet voice.  
  
"Um, hi, Mimi. This is Matt..." he began.  
  
"Matt! Wonderful! I was hoping you'd call," she said happily.  
  
Matt nearly sighed in relief. "You were?"  
  
"Yeah! Do you want to do something today?"  
  
Matt smiled to himself. "Sure! Uh, do you wanna go to the carnival?"  
  
"Sure, why not?"  
  
"I'll pick you up in my car, alright?"  
  
"Um, could you pick me up at that ice cream parlor we went to the other day?" Mimi asked nervously.  
  
"If you want me to," Matt answered, puzzled.  
  
"Great! I'll see you there in...a half hour?"  
  
"Perfect!"  
  
"Well, bye then."  
  
"Bye." Matt waited until he heard her hang up first before he did. A smile spread over his face. A very big smile.  
  
When he pulled up in his platinum convertible later, she was waiting for him. She wore pink pants and a pink blouse.  
  
"Hello!" Mimi waved.  
  
"Hi." Matt jumped out of the driver's side and hurried to the passenger side. Suavely, he opened the door and said, "Have a seat, miss."  
  
Mimi giggled. "All right." She waited before he had started driving before saying, "You know, you're very sweet, Matt."  
  
Matt blushed. "I'm not."  
  
"Oh yes you are!" Mimi, seeing how embarrassed Matt was, changed the subject. "Nice car."  
  
Matt smiled. "Nice outfit. Tell me, do you have a taste for pink?" he asked teasingly.  
  
Mimi laughed. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do."  
  
At the carnival, they rode a ride high in the air. Then, Matt insisted on winning Mimi a doll.  
  
"You don't have to..." Mimi started.  
  
"I want to."  
  
Mimi watched raptly as Matt went to a booth and managed to win a small purple bunny rabbit. Receiving it, he was just about to give it to Mimi when his eye caught on a little girl, about six years old. She was staring at the prizes on the shelf.  
  
Matt crouched down in front of her. "Hey, there. Do you like bunnies?"  
  
The girl nodded shyly a 'yes'.  
  
"Would you like this purple bunny?"  
  
The girl nodded again, this time more vigorously.  
  
"Well, here you go then." Matt held out the stuffed animal towards her.  
  
The little girl took it. She hugged it to her for a moment. Then, she looked up at him and threw her arms around him. She kissed his cheek before running off.  
  
Matt, blushing, stood up. He noticed Mimi looking at him. "What?" He began to have a sick feeling in his stomach. 'You idiot! You promised to give it to her, and you went and gave it to some girl you don't even know...'  
  
  
~END OF THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 1~  
~TO BE CONTINUED...IN THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 2~  
  
What's going to happen? Will Mimi be mad at Matt?  
  
So, what did you think? Send your opinions to crescent87@hotmail.com  
  
Thanks!  
  
-Venus163 


	2. Default Chapter Title

~THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 2~  
  
Hey everyone! You've come to read the second part!  
  
Again, I do not own Digimon, but the plot is mine.  
  
I advise all readers who have not read part 1 to do so immediately, or else this story will make next to no sense at all.  
  
In this part, there is a scene of attempted suicide. Nothing graphic, I swear. Nobody dies, okay? I'm not THAT cruel.  
  
This story is rated PG-13, due to the plot. No swearing, but all in all, it's pretty depressing. It gets happier as it goes along though, I promise.  
  
Let's get something straight. This story is an alternate-reality story. In this story, Matt and T.K.'s parents are not divorced, but still together. Matt and Mimi are in high school. So is Tai, Izzy, and Joe, but they only get mentioned here. They'll have a bigger part in the next couple parts. T.K. and Kari are in middle school.  
  
Send all reviews to crescent87@hotmail.com  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!  
  
~THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 2~  
BY VENUS163  
  
"Oh Matt!" Mimi said, breaking out into smiles, her hands grasped together, "that was so sweet! You gave the little bunny to that small girl!"  
  
Matt was very relieved, but he still curiously watched her. "Most girls would have been offended," he told her.  
  
"They're stupid!" she told him admiringly. "I think it was so sweet and splendid of you...oh Matt!"  
  
Matt basked in her praise for a moment longer before relunctantly returning to Earth. He turned back to the booth and won another rabbit, this time pink.  
  
"Well, it was a good thing anyway," he assured her, giving it to her. "I got you a pink one instead."  
  
Mimi grinned. "And I expect you want the same thanks for it you got from her?" Without waiting for a reply she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "There."  
  
Matt felt his face grow hot. "Um, would you like to go on the Ferris Wheel?"  
  
"As long as it's with you, Matt."  
  
Matt blissfully lead her to the wheel. There, they got in a cart. Luckily for Matt, they only held two people.  
  
As the wheel slowly moved them up, Matt looked around. "Beautiful, isn't it?"  
  
"Um-hmm."  
  
A cry of delight caused him to look up. A small boy was hanging onto his mother happily, smiling. The mother pulled him back into the seat patiently and kissed his forehead. The boy snuggled closer to her.  
  
Matt felt a lump grow in his throat. HIS mother had never been like that. She hadn't cared. She'd just let him do whatever he wanted.  
  
He turned his gaze below him, trying to escape the hurt and pain. His eyes fell onto a little boy with his father. The boy was eating cotton candy. He stopped and said something to his father, who picked him up and sat him on his shoulders. After eating some more cotton candy, he dropped some onto his father's head, who said something to him. Then both laughed.  
  
The tears stung his eyes. His father had been even worse than his mother, if possible. Always away on business, Matt hardly ever saw him, but when he did, he was always yelling at him for doing something wrong.  
  
He felt a soft hand on his shoulder. "Matt, are you alright?"  
  
"I'm...I'm not feeling well."  
  
"If you want to talk about it, I'm here," Mimi assured him.  
  
Matt wanted to cry. Mimi's touch, her soft voice...It seemed like someone cared for him, for HIM, not Yamato Ishida, who came from a rich family.   
  
"I-I..." And suddenly, he found himself pouring his heart out to Mimi. He told her everything: About his parents, about his brother, his friends...  
  
"My parents have never cared for me. They never loved me. I was just a son who was born to carry on the family name and to make more money. My father was always away on business, and my mother went to parties. Both would always yell at me for things I didn't do or some small thing. It was always money and themselves, they cared about, not me or my brother T.K.  
  
"Of course, T.K. had his share of misery, but he was younger than me, so they didn't put so much pressure on him as they did me. He had this friend of his, named Kari, that would listen to him and comfort him.  
  
"I had no one. My so-called friends only hung around me because I was rich. If I was stripped of my fortune, they'd be gone very quickly.   
  
"Then, my parents started to fight. They always fought, and it was because of me or T.K. I mean, I had no one..." His voice broke.  
  
Mimi said nothing and let him keep talking.  
  
Matt took a deep breath. "And no one's ever cared for me, I mean ME, not the rich kid," he finished. He suddenly grew ashamed. "I'm sorry, Mimi. I shouldn't have bored with you the dreary details of my life. You wouldn't understand..."  
  
"Oh, I understand."  
  
Matt looked up quickly. "You what?"  
  
"I understand very well. Too well," Mimi said quietly. "You see, I'm an only child. I come from a rich family too. My parents don't care one whit for me. As long as I stay out of the way and give the world a good impression, they don't care.  
  
"You're lucky, you know that?" Mimi said bitterly. "You know just where you stand with your parents, how much they don't like you. Me- They pretend to love me. They treat me nicely, and give me everything I ask for. But I KNOW that they don't love me. And that's what hurts most. And that they could never give me the one thing that I want most- love.  
  
"Like you, I don't have any true friends. My parents bribe kids to be nice to me and hang around with me. And that hurts, knowing that they would rather take money and pretend to be my friend, then actually be one for nothing except my own friendship."  
  
Matt stared at her. "Mimi...I never knew..."  
  
"I told you we were alike more than you thought," she whispered. "I knew immediately that you were like me, though I didn't know how."  
  
"Do you have no one to care for you?" Matt asked cautiously.  
  
"I used to..." Mimi began, "...but there IS someone now..."  
  
"I have no one," Matt said sadly. "No one cares for me, no one loves me..."   
  
"Matt..."  
  
"...no one even, LIKES me..."  
  
"Matt..."  
  
"...no one....what?"  
  
"You're wrong, Matt," Mimi said warmly. "You're not alone, the whole world doesn't hate you..."  
  
"A person would have to be a lunatic to like me," Matt snapped.  
  
Mimi looked down at her pink-painted fingernails. "I guess I'm a lunatic, then," she murmured.  
  
Matt jerked his head up. "What?"  
  
"Oh Matt," Mimi said warmly, linking her arm through his, "I care for you. And the person who cares for me now...it's you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know you care about me, even if you don't." She smiled and ran a slender hand through his blonde hair. "I don't know who you really are, but I care about you a lot. And no matter who you are, you'll always be my Matt."  
  
Matt felt a tear travel down his cheek. "Mimi..." he choked.  
  
Mimi brushed his tears away. She straightened. "It's almost our turn to get off, Matt."  
  
He got off first and offered her his hand, which she took. As they walked to get some cotton candy, their hands were linked.  
  
  
  
It was late in the evening when he came home.  
  
Immediately he was pounced upon by his mother. "Yamato, where have you been? I'm so ashamed of you, leaving without saying a word, how could you..."  
  
"Um..."  
  
"...if your father heard of this, he'd give you a good beating! Now, I expect you to go upstairs and stay in your room, you stupid boy. Go up and there and try to think of something you can do, so you can stop being such a good-for-nothing boy..."  
  
Matt hurried up the stairs, the tears stinging his eyes. His thoughts drifted back to the small boy and his mother. Then, he remembered the boy and his father. Throwing himself onto his bed, he felt his fists clench in hate towards his parents.   
  
Then, he remembered Mimi. His eyes softened and his fists unclenched. Mimi was always there, she would always be there. She understood him, what he was going through because she went through the same things herself.  
  
Matt suddenly got up and ducked under his bed. If Mimi understood him so well, then she would understand VERY well what he was about to do.  
  
Matt pulled out the knife and stared at the glinting edge. All his troubles were going to be over.  
  
  
  
"...I think he's going to make it."  
  
Matt dazedly got to his senses. There was a strong smell of chemicals filling up his nose. Strange noises soon registered in his brain as talking, beeping, and clattering, With a lot of work, he managed to open his eyes.  
  
"He's awake!"  
  
Matt found himself looking up into the faces of a bearded man and several uniformed women. 'Doctors and nurses,' he thought. With a slightly disappointed feeling, he realized that he wasn't dead but in a hospital.  
  
"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.  
  
Matt managed to shrug. "Dunno."  
  
"Close call, young man. Whatever possessed you to try to commit suicide?" The doctor was now talking more to himself than to Matt. "Young people nowadays," he muttered.  
  
Straightening, he ordered, "Help him sit up!"  
  
The nurses scurried to him quickly, helping him sit up. Matt looked and saw himself dressed in a hospital gown. He happened to be in a moderate-sized room, in a white bed. The room was rather empty. On his arm, where he had made the cut, was a heavy white bandage.  
  
The doctor gestured towards the nurses. "We can go now. Send his visitor in."  
  
Matt watched them leave. Wondering who the visitor could be, he watched the door open.  
  
He gasped. "T.K.! What are you doing here?"  
  
His younger brother was pale. "Matt! Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine. But what..."  
  
T.K. hurried over to his side and sat down in the chair. "I was going to ask if you were alright, 'cause I heard the conversation between you and Mom. I walked in, and you were on the ground, laying in a pool of..." T.K. took a deep breath. "...in a pool of blood. I saw the knife next to you and I called the ambulance."  
  
Matt frowned. "Where's Mom? Dad?"  
  
"Oh, Mom doesn't know. She's at a stupid party. And of course Dad doesn't know either." T.K. swallowed with a lot of effort. Then, with a small cry, he grasped Matt's good arm. "Whatever drove you to do it, Matt? I know life was bad, but...but I didn't think it was that bad!" He started to sniffle. "Matt..."  
  
Matt immediately felt guilty over what he had attempted to do. He squeezed his brother's hand. "I don't know, T.K. I think it was an impulse or something. But I won't do it again," he said quickly. "I promise."  
  
T.K. looked up. "Really? You promise?"  
  
"Yeah, I promise."  
  
His sunny smile graced T.K.'s face. "That's great, then." He stood up. "I think that friend of yours should be here by now..."  
  
"My friend?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. I found someone's phone number on your desk. It was really worn, but I managed to read it and call that person. Did you know a g-"  
  
He stopped abruptly. "Oh, she's here..."  
  
"SHE??" Matt asked, feeling sick suddenly.  
  
"Yeah. Well, I better get going. I'll make up some excuse when Mom comes home. Bye, Matt. See you tomorrow. The doctor says you'll be released then," he said reassuringly.  
  
Before Matt could say anything, T.K. walked out of the room. And Mimi stepped in.  
  
"Mimi!" Matt gasped.  
  
Mimi was unnaturally pale. She sat in the chair that T.K. had just vacated and grasped his hand in her own. "So, you did it," she said flatly. "I was wondering when you would try it."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Mimi looked into his eyes. "I understand completely," she murmured.  
  
"You wouldn't," Matt told her. "You've never been driven to this before."  
  
"Oh, haven't I?" Mimi asked him.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.  
  
Mimi rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. "I've tried it, too," she said quietly, holding out her arm.   
  
Matt gazed down onto her creamy arm. In a shade slightly lighter than the rest of her skin, a long, vertical scar sat smugly, a tell-tale clue.  
  
"You-you tried to kill yourself too?" Matt choked.  
  
Mimi nodded. "A couple years ago. I would have succeeded, too, except one of the maids found me before I left. Of course, she was sworn to secrecy, and nobody except me, that maid, and a handful of doctors and nurses know about my attempt to take my life."  
  
Suddenly, her emotionless exterior was gone. "Oh Matt!" she cried, "I thought I'd lost you!" The tears started to flow down her face.  
  
Matt reached out and brushed away her tears. "Mimi, I can never go, not now," he said soothingly. "You're way too important to me. If I left, you'd be left all alone, and then what would happen?"  
  
Mimi leaned down towards him. "Am I really that important to you?" she breathed.  
  
Matt nodded, caressing her cheek. "Of course, Mimi."  
  
Mimi smiled. "Of course," she repeated.  
  
  
  
"Why do I have to go?" demanded Matt.  
  
"Because the Tachikawas are going to be there," Mrs. Ishida snapped. "They are one of the richest families in Tokyo."  
  
"Wouldn't hurt for you to meet their daughter," Mr. Ishida muttered. "I hear she's a perfect angel."  
  
"She's probably a perfect snob," he retorted.  
  
SLAP!!  
  
Pain throbbed on his cheek. Gingerly, Matt raised a hand and touched it, wincing as it stung.  
  
"That'll teach you to behave," Mr. Ishida snapped. "I should have belted you a whole lot more when you were growing up. But it's too late for that. Go and get dressed before I decide to teach you a bigger lesson."  
  
Matt hurried away, tears of humiliation sliding down his cheeks. Slamming the door to his room, he snatched up the picture of Mimi that she had given to him. Gazing at the picture, he felt himself slowly calm down and compose himself.  
  
After changing into his suit, he looked into his mirror. He frowned. 'I'll show them,' he vowed fervently.  
  
Matt sat silently in the back of the car, staring sullenly out the window, during the drive to the Kitamatsumori home, where the party was to take place. He could feel T.K.'s uneasiness next to him.  
  
Knocking on the door, the butler opened the door. "The Ishidas," he announced in a monotonous tone.  
  
Matt stepped in, bored. He'd been to so many dances and parties that he knew that they were basically all the same.  
  
He watched T.K. walk over to Kari. Kari's brother Taichi and his friends Koushiro Izumi and Jyou Kido were keeping a close eye on the pair.   
  
Matt sighed. Lately, his so-called friends had been avoiding him, claiming that he didn't seem like himself.  
  
Matt sighed in frustration.  
  
Suddenly, his mother was yanking violently onto his arm. "Come!" she hissed.  
  
~END OF THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 2~  
~TO BE CONTINUED...IN THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 3~  
  
What does Matt's mother want with him? Will Matt have fun at the party? What exactly is between T.K. and Kari, and why is Taichi (Tai), Koushiro (Izzy), and Jyou (Joe) keeping such a close eye on them?  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!! Send E-Mails to crescent87@hotmail.com  
  
PLEASE READ PART 3!!  
  
-Venus163 


	3. Default Chapter Title

~THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 3~  
  
Hullo, everyone! Welcome to Part 3!  
  
As you can so obviously tell, Yamato is my FAVORITE character, closely followed by Mimi. Which means...I LOVE MIMATO!!  
  
I still do not own Digimon, and I still own the plot.  
  
This story is rated PG-13. It is rather depressing. This part is less depressing than the other three, but still...  
  
Let's get something straight. This story is an alternate-reality story. In this story, Matt and T.K.'s parents are not divorced, but still together. Matt, Mimi, Tai, Izzy, Joe, and Sora are in high school. T.K. and Kari are in middle school.  
  
PLEASE READ THE FIRST TWO PARTS OR YOU WILL GET LOST.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!! Send E-Mails to crescent87@hotmail.com  
  
~THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 3~  
BY VENUS163  
  
Matt followed without saying a word. His father nudged him warningly before turning to a couple equally dripping with makeup. "This is my wife, Linda," Mr. Ishida said in a fake happy tone. "Linda, this is Jonathon Tachikawa."  
  
"And this is my wife, Marian," Mr. Tachikawa introduced in an equally fake tone. "Marian, this is Nathaniel Ishida."  
  
The women shook hands, pretending to be cheerful.  
  
Matt felt his mother push him roughly in front. "This is our eldest son, Yamato," she said sweetly. "Our younger son, Takeru, is standing with Hikari Kamiya," she said, pointing.  
  
Matt watched as Mrs. Tachikawa pushed someone in the exact same manner in front of her. "And this is our daughter, Mimi."  
  
Matt prepared for the worst, but he jumped. "Mimi?" he gasped.  
  
Mimi's eyes widened. "Matt?"  
  
"Am I missing something?" Mr. Ishida said in a joking tone but rather stiffly.  
  
Matt turned to the adults. "Um, Ms. Tachikawa and I have met before."  
  
Mimi curtsied gracefully to his parents. "Indeed we have," she said softly.  
  
"Delightful!" her mother announced.  
  
Matt offered Mimi his arm. "Would you care to take a walk?"  
  
"I'd be delighted," she answered. Excusing themselves from their parents, they swiftly walked onto the balcony.  
  
Matt grinned. "You're Mimi Tachikawa?"  
  
Mimi smiled. "And you're Yamato Ishida?" She laughed. "Ironic, isn't it?"  
  
"Sure is." He sat her down in a nearby chair. "So, our parents are very alike, aren't they?"  
  
"You're telling me!" She looked over at him and suddenly took his hand. "You know, Yamato..."  
  
"Please keep calling me Matt," he pleaded. "I don't know who you're talking to when you say Yamato."  
  
She gave him a winsome smile. "Matt, I'm so glad it's you," she said earnestly. "My parents always talk about you, and I start to wonder who is so perfect. I didn't want to come today, but now..."  
  
"I know how you feel," he told her. "My parents are always going on about how the Tachikawas' daughter is a perfect angel, and that I should learn from her. They were right. I SHOULD learn from her."  
  
Mimi giggled. "Perhaps." Then she grew serious. "If I know my parents, they're going to start yelling at me about not telling them that I knew Yamato Ishida."  
  
Matt nodded. "And mine about how I knew Mimi Tachikawa."  
  
She smiled, but turned pale. "We need a good story that will please both pairs of parents."  
  
"You're right. Um..." Matt began to think.  
  
"I've got it!" Mimi said suddenly. She whispered quickly into Matt's ear.  
  
Matt grinned. "That's brilliant!"  
  
"Do you think your brother would be willing to help?" Mimi asked worridly.  
  
"T.K.? 'Course he would." Matt proceeded to wave to his brother, who immediately got the message and started to walk over.  
  
"What is it, Matt?" he asked. His eyes fell on Mimi, and he started. "Whoa, is this the famous Mimi Tachikawa? That was you?"  
  
Mimi smiled sweetly. "Would you do a favor for us, T.K.? It's really simple..."  
  
T.K. grinned goofily. "Sure. Anything."  
  
Quickly Mimi proceeded to explain to T.K. what they wanted him to do. "Could you do that?" she asked when she had finished.  
  
"Of course, Ms. Tachi-"  
  
"Call me Mimi, or else," Mimi said threateningly.  
  
Matt snickered. "You better, T.K."  
  
"Alright, Mimi. I'll do it."  
  
"Oh, thank you, T.K.!" she cried. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "It's really nice of you..."  
  
Matt tried to calm the sudden surge of anger and something else...  
  
Mimi linked her arms through both Matt and T.K.'s. "Well, let's get going!"  
  
Strategically, they stood at the punch bowl, only a couple feet from where their parents stood, talking.  
  
"So, how'd you meet?" T.K. asked loudly.  
  
Matt was relieved to see that both sets of parents had turned towards them. "Well, we bumped into each other in the park. Of course, I didn't know who she was, and she didn't who I was..."  
  
"The only thing we knew about each other was that we each came from rich families," Mimi interrupted, relieving Matt. "I told him to call me Mimi, and he told me to call him Matt, so we met several times, not knowing who the other really was...until tonight."  
  
T.K. laughed perfectly. "Seriously?"  
  
"Seriously," Matt answered. "I had the shock of my life when I got introduced to her and found out she was really Mimi Tachikawa!"  
  
"And I when I found out he was Yamato Ishida!" Mimi added.  
  
"Interesting. Mimi, have you met Hikari Kamiya?"  
  
"No, but would you introduce me to her? She sounds just lovely."  
  
"Of course."  
  
The three walked away gleefully, congratulating each other on the success of their plan.  
  
Later, as it grew close to midnight, Matt took Mimi's hand. "Would you let me walk you to school Monday?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Of course, Matt. Isn't it amazing school starts again in two days?" she replied.  
  
"I know. Time just flies by." He kissed her hand. "Good-bye, Mimi."  
  
Mimi blushed prettily. "Good-bye, Matt."  
  
Matt blissfully stared out the window on the drive home.  
  
His father cleared his throat. "I heard how you and Ms. Tachikawa met, Yamato."  
  
Matt tore his gaze from the window and nodded. "So?"  
  
"I'm just proud that my son went and made her aquaintance without being forced to," he said gruffly.  
  
Matt nearly jumped. That was the first nice thing his father had ever said to him. "Thanks," he said softly.  
  
  
  
Matt walked besides Mimi, carrying her bookbag, and listening with rapt attention to something she was saying. He would never tire of listening to her musical voice.  
  
"...and so, that's how it happened," she finished. "Wicked cool, huh?"  
  
"Uh-huh," he answered, gazing at her. He would never completely understand how he became so blessed by meeting this angel.  
  
Mimi blushed. "What is it?"  
  
Matt shook his head. "Nothing." He then straightened. "Do you want to sit together at lunch?"  
  
Mimi sighed in relief. "I'm so glad you asked. My friends have been avoiding me, like I'm getting weird or something, so I would have had to sit alone if you hadn't asked."  
  
Matt nodded. "So have mine. I'm just glad I have someone who understands me, and is my true friend," he said, looking at her again.  
  
Mimi said nothing, but a small smile graced her lips.  
  
Matt followed her to her locker. He watched as she twirled her combination. "I had a lot of fun last Saturday at the party, you know. I've never had so much fun before. Everyone was so boring...Uh!" she grunted, trying to get her locker open. "Oh great! It's stuck!"  
  
Matt carefully put her bookbag onto the floor. "Let me try," he asked her.  
  
Mimi stepped back, and Matt took a hold of her lock. With one strong pull, the lock unstuck, and her locker swung open.  
  
Mimi flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Matt."  
  
"You're welcome," Matt answered gruffly, her smile causing him to melt.  
  
"Well, you better get to your locker, too," Mimi told him, "or else you'll be late to class. I'll see you in music, alright?"  
  
Matt nodded. "Yeah."  
  
It took him double the usual amount of time for him to get to class, for he was thinking of Mimi.  
  
Taichi Kamiya, Kari's older brother, walked up to him. They had never been very close, but they got along. "So, are you going out with Mimi Tachikawa?" he asked.  
  
Matt answered truthfully, "I wish. We're just friends."  
  
Taichi's friends Koushiro Izumi and Jyou Kido walked over.   
  
"Did you know that there's a high probability of friends going out?" Koushiro asked him.  
  
"No..."  
  
"Does she like you?" Jyou asked eagerly.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Does she like you like you?"  
  
"I dunno..."  
  
"You're okay, Yamato," Taichi laughed. "You're okay."  
  
"We didn't know before," Jyou explained, "because you seemed so distant."  
  
"We finally managed to talk to you, and look what happened!" Koushiro explained.  
  
Matt felt tears in his eyes, but he blinked them away. "It's just that I never had any true friends before. The guys I hung out with pretended to be my friends, but they never really were. My first true friend was Mimi."  
  
Taichi nodded. "Well, you'll have three more friends, Yamato. Call me Tai, call Koushiro Izzy, and call Jyou Joe."  
  
Matt grinned. "And you guys call me Matt."  
  
The boys were forced back to their seats when the teacher walked in, but Matt didn't care. He had friends.  
  
  
  
"...so I'm starting to feel something else for her, but she doesn't know," Matt whispered to his new friends at lunch. "And I don't think she wants us to be anything more than friends."  
  
"Have you asked her?" Tai asked.  
  
"No..."  
  
"Than how do you know?" Joe asked.  
  
"Psychics are very rare..." began Izzy.  
  
"Matt!"  
  
All four boys looked up to see Mimi and another girl walk towards them.  
  
Matt immediately stood up and pulled out a seat for her. "Have a seat, Ms. Tachikawa."  
  
Mimi giggled. "Thank you, Mr. Ishida."  
  
The girl laughed. "You're right, Mimi, he is a perfect gentleman."  
  
Matt snickered as Tai got up and also pulled out a seat. "Please sit down, Ms. Takenouchi."  
  
"Why, thank you, Mr. Kamiya."  
  
"Tai's had the biggest crush on her for the last year," Joe whispered confidingly to Matt.  
  
"Hey Matt, this is my new friend Sora Takenouchi," Mimi introduced.  
  
"Hello, Sora. And Mimi, they are my new friends, Taichi Kamiya (Tai), Koushiro Izumi (Izzy), and Jyou Kido (Joe)."  
  
"Hello," Mimi replied sunnily.  
  
"Tai," Matt asked, suddenly remembering the night of the party, "are you protective of your little sister?"  
  
"Yes...why?"  
  
"Um...my little brother kinda sorta has a thing for her..."  
  
"WHAT??"  
  
"Don't worry about it, Tai," Mimi said, casually eating some salad. "Takeru Ishida is a perfect angel. Sure, he has a crush on Hikari, but he's had it for ten years, and they're still friends..."  
  
"Where'd you find that out?" Matt asked, stunned.  
  
"Oh, Takeru confided in me about his girl troubles," Mimi answered airily. "See, he really likes Hikari, but he's scared that if he makes a move, he'll scare her away, so he's kind of at a standstill."  
  
"And what'd you tell him?" Tai asked in a strained voice.  
  
"Oh, not to do anything yet. When both are ready. I think Takeru liked that idea, so as far as I know, they're still friends."  
  
"Good advice, Mimi," Sora complimented. "I'd have said the same."  
  
"You should see T.K. at home," Matt laughed. "There's a Hikari Kamiya shrine in his closet. He thinks that I don't know about it, but I found it a year ago..."  
  
"A SHRINE??" Tai spat out his soda. "TO MY SISTER??"  
  
"Oh, I've seen it," Mimi assured Tai, "and it's nothing obsessive. All the pictures of her he could get his hands on placed in a box, anything and everything that reminds him of her, even in the slightest way...oh yeah, I forgot the letters."  
  
"LETTERS? AS IN LOVE LETTERS??"  
  
"Love letters? When'd he start writing those?" Matt asked curiously.  
  
"He says he started a couple months ago," Mimi answered frankly, "but I think some date back to the third grade. But they're all so sweet! He told me to pick some and read them..."  
  
"What'd he write?" Tai asked, in a VERY strained voice.  
  
"Um, he kept writing about how beautiful she was, and how kind and lo..." Mimi took one look at Tai before saying, "...caring. A little poetry, good for a first try, and some quotes..."  
  
"AND THAT'S NOT OBSESSIVE??" Tai roared.  
  
"How did you get T.K. to show you all that stuff?" Matt asked.  
  
"He wanted to prove how much he really cared about her," Mimi answered, her hands clasped together. "It was so sweet, and I knew that he would NEVER hurt her, not for anything. And you should have seen the way he'd look at her picture..."  
  
At that moment, the teachers on lunch duty made it clear that lunch was over.   
  
Mimi smiled. "Oh, I had a great time. See you guys later!" She and Sora walked off.  
  
Tai got up sullenly. "Someone's obsessed with my innocent little sister..." he grumbled.  
  
Matt, Izzy, and Joe looked at each other, then started to laugh.  
  
~END OF THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 3~  
~TO BE CONTINUED...IN THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 4~  
  
So, what's going to happen between Matt and Mimi? Is Tai going to get with Sora? What's with T.K. and Kari?  
  
Yay! So, did you like? Send all reviews to crescent87@hotmail.com  
  
I promise, romance in the last part.  
  
-Venus163 


	4. Default Chapter Title

~THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 4~  
  
Hi, everyone! Welcome to the last part of Matt's story. All the romance is in here. Nothing graphic, just wholesome romance.  
  
I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON, AND I NEVER WILL, BUT THE PLOT IS MINE, AND ALWAYS WILL BE!!  
  
It's rated PG-13, due to a depressing plot. I'm sorry, but I just HAD to torture T.K...  
  
Cliffhanger for T.K.!! If you want to know about him and Kari, you have to wait for their part of the series.  
  
Let's get something straight. This story is an alternate-reality story. In this story, Matt and T.K.'s parents are not divorced, but still together. Matt, Mimi, Tai, Izzy, and Joe are in high school. Sora is too, but she's not mentioned in this Part, just in Part 3. She'll be mentioned more in Mimi's Story. T.K. and Kari are in middle school.  
  
Send all reviews to crescent87@hotmail.com  
  
The next parts that are going to be up is Mimi's story.  
  
Well, let's read MIMATO!!  
  
~THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 4~  
BY VENUS163  
  
"Where have you been?" Mrs. Ishida demanded as soon as Matt opened the door. "I was..."  
  
"My fault, Mrs. Ishida," Tai said smoothly, coming inside behind him. "I insisted he come over to my house to do homework."  
  
"We did all of it," Joe added.  
  
"It went rather quickly," Izzy put in.  
  
Mrs. Ishida immediately put on a big, fake smile. "Oh, then that's alright. Come in, Taichi, Koushiro. You too, Jyou."  
  
Matt gestured toward the stairs. "We're going up to my room." The three boys shrugged and followed him up.  
  
Tai immediately elbowed him. "Where's Takeru's room? I've gotta take a look at his shrine to my little sister!"  
  
Matt glanced at his watch. "Okay, T.K.'s not going to be home for an hour. I guess we can check it out." Carefully checking for servants, he flung open the door to T.K.'s room.  
  
He gingerly opened the closet door. "I just hope he hasn't rigged anything..."  
  
Tai threw himself onto the cardboard box. Carefully opening it, he took out a handful of papers. "I'm going to start with the letters," he said matter-of-factly.  
  
"I'll look at the pictures," Joe volunteered.  
  
"I'll take whatever's left," Izzy said.  
  
"And I'll stand guard," Matt added.  
  
After a few moments of silence, Matt broke it. "Tai, why don't you read them aloud? I want to know what my brother wrote."  
  
"Alright." Tai cleared his throat. " 'My dearest Kari'... DEAREST?? WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS??"  
  
"Just keep going," Joe demanded. He was curious, just like all the boys.  
  
"Fine...Ahem. 'My dearest Kari, have you ever thought about soulmates? Two people destined to be with each other for the rest of their lives? I have. I wish that you were my soulmate, though I know very well that it is impossible. You are impossibly beyond my reach, though I can dream of you and love you from afar' ...LOVE??"  
  
"If you keep stopping I'll read them!" Matt snapped.  
  
Tai nodded. "Alright, alright. Now, let's see...ah, here it is. 'You are as beautiful and as perfect as a rose, but without its thorns. Kind, loving...none of those words can describe you, as no words can describe what I feel for you, for they are all too small.  
  
" 'I wonder if you feel the same way as I do, though I know perfectly well that you do not. I am just Takeru Ishida, a childhood friend to you, and it hurts me to know that, but I am happy if you are happy.  
  
" 'I fell in love with you the first time we met, Kari. Do you remember? We were six. You came and sat in the sandbox with me at the playground. We dug holes together.  
  
" 'I realized that I loved you three years ago. A neighborhood bully had been bullying you, and you had started to cry. It hurt me to see you cry. I went and chased the bully away, and then I comforted you. And I found out that I'd rather die than see you cry, ever again. You stopped crying and gave me a big smile. It was then I knew that I loved you.  
  
" 'Kari, I would rather die having loved you than live a thousand years without having met you. You are my angel, whether you want to be or not. I would give my life if it would make you happy in any way.  
  
" 'It is inevitable that you fall in love with someone else in the future. I wish you happiness, Kari. Forget me. You do not need my love for you hanging over your head. But if he hurts you in any way, Kari, I'll be there.  
  
" 'I'll always watch over you and love you, but from a distance. No matter what happens- to me...or to you, I will eternally love you. With me, my first love is my last love, and a doomed love at it, too.  
  
" 'If you ever need me, my beloved Kari, just call and I'll be there for you. Otherwise I'll just disappear from your life, claiming only a small corner of your friendship, though I wish for more.   
  
" 'This letter was never supposed to reach you, but if it does... I just want you to know that I meant every single word. My love for you will last for forever and a day...until summer turns into winter...until there is no love in the world...until the day I breath my last breath.  
  
" 'Your friend, Takeru Ishida. April 24- Our anniversary as friends.' "  
  
Tai lowered the letter, trembling. Joe had long ago abandoned the pictures, likewise Izzy had forgotten the other contents of the box. Matt sat, open-mouthed, in the doorway.  
  
"April 24," Izzy said, breaking the silence. "That was yesterday."  
  
"He's so young..." Joe murmured.  
  
"I-I never knew..." Matt breathed. "He was my brother, and I never knew..."  
  
Tai was staring at the paper in his hand. "He-he truly cares for her," he choked. "He truly loves her. He loves her enough to give her up for life because he thinks she's happy the way she is."  
  
Wordlessly, Matt started putting everything back in the box.  
  
Joe began to help. "We don't have the right to invade his privacy any further," he whispered.  
  
"He seemed so innocent," Izzy said, helping them out. "But he already had to go through one of the biggest hurts that life could offer him."  
  
Tai gathered the letters and put them on top. Closing the closet door, he said hoarsely, "I will have no objection to you and Kari any longer."  
  
The three boys walked out of the room and started heading towards Matt's room.  
  
"Hey, Matt!"  
  
Matt jumped. "Oh, hello T.K."  
  
His little brother seemed perfectly happy. "I saw Mimi. She told me to say hi to you."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Oh, hi Tai, Izzy, Joe. Didn't see you there. See ya guys later! I'm getting some ice cream." With that, T.K. bounded down the stairs.  
  
They walked silently on. Matt shook his head, trying to forget the haunting glimpse of pained love that he had seen in his brother's eyes.  
  
  
  
Matt walked slowly along. He had been extra nice to T.K., but he knew that it could never make up for what he was going through.  
  
He had no right to complain about his life anymore. T.K. had it ten times worse. Unloved by parents, his only friend Kari. In love with Kari, but knowing that it could never work out.  
  
Matt realized that he had walked to the bench where he had first met Mimi. She was there, too. Sitting on the bench, hunched over.  
  
He hurried to her. "Are you alright, Mimi?"  
  
She looked up at him, her beautiful eyes awash with tears. "No..." she choked, as fresh tears began to fall.  
  
Sitting next to her, he held her face in his hands and brushed away her tears with his thumbs. "Please, Mimi, don't cry. I can't stand seeing you cry!"  
  
Mimi tried to smile, but only ended up crying some more. "Matt..."  
  
Matt did the only thing he could do: he put his arms around her. Soothingly, he stroked her soft hair, inhaling her scent of rose. He felt her trembling fingers clutching his shirt, wetting it with her tears.   
  
Matt felt very strange. A warmth spread through his body, and there was a funny ache in his heart. As Mimi's sobs quieted, he thought back to T.K.'s letter... ' 'I realized that I loved you...you had started to cry. It hurt me to see you cry...I comforted you. And I found out that I'd rather die than see you cry, ever again...'  
  
Mimi looked up at him, tears still on her cheeks. She gave him a smile.  
  
'...You stopped crying and gave me a big smile. It was then I knew that I loved you...'  
  
Matt pulled her closer. He inhaled her scent again. He loved her. He loved Mimi, alright. He realized it like T.K. had, when she had been crying and then gave him a smile. Her beautiful smile.  
  
"Matt?" A soft voice whispered.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Oh Matt, what am I going to do?"  
  
Matt relunctantly pulled away from her. "What is it?"  
  
"It's my parents, Matt," Mimi said, the tears starting again. "They've gone and gotten me engaged."  
  
"ENGAGED??"  
  
"Yes, Matt," Mimi whispered. "An arranged marriage. It's some rich guy in Tokyo that I don't even know. I want to marry for love, though, not for money, my parents, or duty..."  
  
"Then don't marry him."  
  
"How? There's no way out of it."  
  
"Do you love him?" Matt asked quickly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you love him?" he repeated.  
  
"No..."  
  
"Are you in love, though?"  
  
"In love? Yes..."  
  
"Then marry the guy you're in love with."  
  
"But...but I don't think he knows how I feel."  
  
"Do I know him?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Tell me who he is," Matt demanded passionately. "I'll go and hammer some sense into his head. He'd be crazy not to be in love with you. I'll..."  
  
"Matt..."  
  
"...you're so beautiful and perfect, who would not love you..."  
  
"Matt..."  
  
"...I know guys who would kill just to get you to smile at them..."  
  
"Matt, it's you!!"  
  
Matt froze. "What?"  
  
"Matt, I love you!" Mimi put her face in her hands and began to cry again.  
  
Matt felt as if his heart was flying. Mimi loved him, she really did! Forcing himself back to Earth, he gripped her arms. "Mimi, do you really mean it? Are you in earnest, or are you torturing me?"  
  
"I mean it, Matt, I love you!"  
  
Matt put his finger under her chin and pushed her face up. Her eyes were shut tight. He cupped his hands under her chin and started to kiss her tears away.  
  
Mimi slowly opened her eyes. "Matt..."  
  
He caressed her cheek. "Oh Mimi, you don't know how much what you've said means to me! I thought that you could never love me, you were too good for me, and now that I know that you do, I'm just so happy...Mimi, I love you."  
  
He gazed into her eyes, searching. Love, surprise, happiness...they all swirled around in confusion in her beautiful brown eyes.  
  
Leaning down, he kissed her soft pink lips.  
  
She stiffened at first, then started to kiss back. Her arms went around his neck, her fingers drowning in his hair. Matt encircled her waist in his arms and began to stroke her back.  
  
Alas, all good things must come to an end. They pulled away, having run out of air. They stared at each other, breathing heavily.  
  
Matt waited tensely, a hundred negative 'what-ifs' running through his mind. Mimi looked unusually serious.  
  
Then suddenly, a smile graced her face. "Oh Matt, you really do care! I thought you didn't..."  
  
Matt kissed her again. "I love you, Mimi. I'd..." remembering T.K.'s letter, he quoted, "... 'rather die having loved you than live a thousand years without having met you.' "  
  
"Oh, how sweet!" she exclaimed. "Did you make it up?"  
  
"No, it's from T.K."  
  
"I didn't know he was so eloquent."  
  
"Neither did I." They looked at each other, and laughed.  
  
Matt suddenly thought of something. Sliding off the bench, he knelt in the dirt in front of Mimi and grasped her hand. "Mimi Tachikawa, I'll have to ask you to wait a couple years, but...will you marry me?"  
  
Mimi laughed and cried at the same time. "Yes, Matt! Oh, yes!"  
  
He stood up and pulled her up with him. Pulling her close, he kissed her.   
  
They stood that way, arms around each other, for a long time.  
  
Finally, Mimi pulled away, obviously relunctantly. "We better get home, you know."  
  
Matt wanted to stay, but knew she was right. "I know. I'll walk you home." Taking off his coat, he draped it over Mimi's shoulders, than put an arm around her.  
  
Suddenly he felt cold inside. "What about your parents?"  
  
"I don't know," she whispered, snuggling closer to him. "I'll just have to tell them about you and hope that they like it."  
  
"And if they don't?"  
  
"Too bad." Mimi said, smiling at him.  
  
Matt smiled back, but inside he was wondering if he had done the right thing.  
  
When they arrived at Mimi's house, Matt was shocked to see his parent's car parked outside.  
  
"I wonder what Mom and Dad are doing here," he said aloud.  
  
"Probably on business. Come on in," Mimi said, dragging him inside.  
  
The butler showed both of them into the living room.  
  
Mrs. Ishida and Mrs. Tachikawa both got up. "Yamato! Mimi!"  
  
Mr. Tachikawa stormed towards his daughter. "Mimi! Do you have any idea of what you've done? Mr. Sugamora was here, and he left quite vexed. What do I tell him, huh? His fiance isn't there to meet him. I'll be lucky if he wants to keep the engagement..."  
  
"Dad, I'm not marrying Mr. Sugamora," Mimi said quietly but forcefully.  
  
Mr. Tachikawa stopped in his tracks. "What?"  
  
"I'm breaking our engagement," Mimi said loudly.  
  
"What?" Mrs. Tachikawa demanded, looking aghast. "Why?"  
  
"Because I don't love him."  
  
"What does love have to do with this?" her mother shrieked.  
  
"Mom, I'm not marrying Mr. Sugamora because I'm in love with Yamato," Mimi said, putting an arm around Matt's waist. In response, he put an arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him.   
  
Mimi smiled. "We're engaged."  
  
It was the Ishidas that broke the silence.   
  
"Yamato, is this true? You proposed to Mimi and she accepted?" Mr. Ishida asked, Mrs. Ishida nodding furiously besides him.  
  
"Yes, Dad," Matt answered. "I love her." He gazed down at the angel besides him, and smiled at her. She smiled back.  
  
Mrs. Tachikawa suddenly rushed towards them. "This is great! Just marvelous! That Mr. Sugamora wouldn't have done at all," she said, shaking Matt's hand and kissing her daughter's cheek.  
  
"Just imagine," Mr. Tachikawa said proudly, "the Ishidas and the Tachikawas uniting! Perfect! I'm all for it!"  
  
Mrs. Ishida kissed her son on the cheek. "Yamato, I'm very proud of you."  
  
Mr. Ishida said nothing but looked very pleased.  
  
Mr. Tachikawa rubbed his hands together. "We must celebrate! First, I must call Mr. Sugamora and tell him that the engagement is off. Of course, this needs to remain a secret until you graduate from college. Then..."  
  
His voice faded into the background as Matt gazed at Mimi. He knew, even if his parents didn't love him, that Mimi always would, and because of that, life was now good to him.  
  
His gaze traveled to T.K., who had stood silently in the corner. In his eyes was a look of jealousy.  
  
"T.K.," Matt whispered, "I hope you and Kari work out as well as Mimi and I did."  
  
~END OF THE GOOD LIFE: MATT'S STORY, PART 4...END OF MATT'S STORY PERIOD!!~  
~TO BE CONTINUED...IN THE GOOD LIFE: MIMI'S STORY~  
  
So, did you like? I worked for hours on it.  
  
Send all reviews to crescent87@hotmail.com  
  
Please wait for THE GOOD LIFE: MIMI'S STORY  
  
Don't worry, the Takari story will follow, if I get enough requests. If I get enough good reviews, I'll start a Taiora story, too.  
  
Thanks, Ja!!  
  
-Venus163 


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